13 Principles of Learning

An Overview

3 Groupings of the Principles

Principles of Learning
Principles 1 5

Principles of Teaching
Principles 6-10

Principles of Curriculum
Principles 11-13

1. Effort Produces Achievement

Debunks that inherited intelligence mainly determines academic achievement Amount of effort the student makes has much more to do with academic achievement Given the right conditions and support, almost everyone can achieve at high levels

2. Learning is About Making Connections

We learn by adding new knowledge to the knowledge we already have We must organize our existing knowledge into some sort of structure Either the new knowledge fits the existing structures, or we alter the structure to accommodate the new This is a creative and active process that requires a great deal of interaction

3. We Learn With and Through Others

We teach one another, exchange ideas, reinforce concepts, solve problems, debate ideas, and challenge assertions with others Student learning is enhanced with they understand and accept the conventions that structure such social interactions

4. Learning Takes Time

How much we can learn is a function of how much time we have to learn it A given task will be learned only if the learner spends the amount of time needed to learn it Students need different amounts of time in order to learn the same things

5. Motivation Matters

Students are best motivated by:

Seeing a connection between their wants and what they are being asked to learn Believing in their abilities to succeed Feeling good about themselves as learners

Motivation includes deep understanding (mastery), demonstrating what they know to others, and meeting a high standard of accomplishment

6. The Teacher Matters

How much a student learns depends much more on which teacher within the school the student gets than what school he or she goes to Improving the quality of teaching is the key to school improvement

7. Focused Teaching Promotes Accelerated Learning

The key to accelerated learning lies in matching instruction to the level of the learner The teachers role is to scaffold the learning of the new task, revealing to the learner how to move from what he or she can currently do independently to a higher level of cognitive functioning

8. Clear Expectations and Continuous Feedback Activate learning

Students achieve at higher levels when they have a clear image of what is expected of them
Give example of work that meets standard Access to clear criteria for judging the quality of their work Access to continuous feedback on their work so they know how to bring it up to standard

9. Good Teaching Builds on Students Strengths and Respects Individuals Differences

Each child has a unique mix of strengths and weaknesses Students find if easier to learn using a particular ability or adopting a particular style Abilities and styles are capable of being developed in school

10. Good Teaching Involves Modeling What Students Should Learn

Much of what the student needs know and do are best learned by apprenticing to an expert the teacher The teacher models the behavior the students is being asked to demonstrate Through continuous monitoring and feedback the teacher gradually increases the difficulty of the learning

11.The Curriculum Should Focus on Powerful Knowledge

Knowledge is powerful when it provides a basis for further learning and when it concerns important and validated knowledge
The new basics (higher levels of reading, math, problem-solving, communications, etc. Discipline-based subjects Skills, strategies, and attitudes that support independent, purposeful learning and problem solving

12. All Students should Experience a Thinking Curriculum

Students can be taught to manage their own thinking and learning processes Challenging tasks that support deep thinking will stimulate intelligent behavior, as will explicit teaching of cognitive and metacognitive strategies The learning of basic skills and higherorder thinking should go hand in hand

13. The Best Results Come From Having an Aligned Instructional

The best results are obtained with the assessments, curriculum framework, instructional materials and teaching are in full alignment with the standards and with one another